“Unfair and Unjust”: Uniswap CLO Urges Challenge to IRS Ruling on DEXs

The Chief Legal Officer (CLO) of Uniswap, Katherine Minarik, has publicly called for a challenge to the recent ruling by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that classifies decentralized exchanges (DEXs) as brokers under U.S. tax law.

In a strongly worded statement, Minarik argued that the interpretation is fundamentally flawed and could stifle innovation in the cryptocurrency industry by imposing impractical compliance burdens on decentralized platforms.

IRS Ruling Sparks Controversy

Earlier this year, the IRS issued guidelines that require DEXs to report user transactions, citing a broader effort to curb tax evasion. The ruling aligns DEXs with traditional financial brokers, obligating them to comply with stringent reporting requirements. Critics, including Minarik, have pointed out that the decentralized nature of these platforms makes such compliance technically infeasible.

Source: X

“This ruling reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of how decentralized exchanges operate,” Minarik said during a recent industry conference. “Unlike centralized platforms, DEXs lack the ability to collect user information, which is essential for broker-level reporting.”

The Broader Industry Impact

The IRS’ decision has raised an uproar from all corners of the crypto community. Industry leaders say such categorization goes against the whole ‘decentralized’ ethos of blockchain. Forcing DEXs to fit into broker regulations only furthers the dissuasion of developers and users from making active contributions to a decentralized system, pushing innovation onto countries with friendlier regulatory jurisdictions.

The ruling, per the Blockchain Association report, will lead to reduced liquidity and higher costs for users, thus undermining the very advantages that have driven the growth of DeFi.

Uniswap Leads the Pushback

As one of the largest DEXs in the world, Uniswap is at the forefront of the calls for regulatory clarity. Minarik says there needs to be an approach tailored to the unique qualities of the decentralized platforms. In cooperation with other industry players, Uniswap is preparing to reach out to policymakers with the hope of securing changes to the IRS’ guidelines.

“The crypto community is not opposed to regulation,” said Minarik. “However, these regulations must be thoughtful and reflective of the underlying technology.”

Calls for Legal and Legislative Action

Legal experts said the IRS ruling is susceptible to challenge on legal grounds, especially on the basis that this is beyond the rulemaking powers of the agency. Minarik has indicated that Uniswap may consider legal action if no progress is made through legislative channels.

Source: X

Meanwhile, lawmakers sympathetic to the crypto industry have begun drafting proposals aimed at revising the IRS’s stance. A bipartisan group of senators recently introduced a bill seeking to exempt DEXs from broker requirements, citing the need to foster innovation in the United States.

Industry Response

The IRS’s decision has reignited the ongoing debate about how cryptocurrencies should be regulated. Many in the crypto community view the ruling as an example of regulatory overreach that fails to accommodate the nuances of blockchain technology.

Uniswap’s efforts to challenge the IRS ruling could set a precedent for how decentralized platforms are treated under U.S. law. The outcome of this dispute will likely shape the future of DeFi and its role in the broader financial system.